Turf Sprint: Regally Ready 3-1 Favorite

Regally Ready, a dual stakes winner on the turf this year, has been installed as the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the Nov. 5 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. IIT) at Churchill Downs.

There were 14 horses entered in the $1 million race for 3-year-olds and up, including recent graded- stakes winner Havelock and last year’s Turf Sprint victor Chamberlain Bridge. The Turf Sprint will be run at five furlongs and has an approximate post time of 3:21 p.m. EDT.

Regally Ready enters the Turf Sprint off a neck victory in the Oct. 16 Nearctic Stakes (gr. IT) at Woodbine. Before that, he won the Sam Simeon Handicap (gr. IIIT) in April and the Twin Spires Turf Sprint Stakes (gr. IIIT) in May.

Overall, the 4-year-old son of More Than Ready  holds a record of 8-2-4 from 10 starts for earnings of $670,684.

Steve Asmussen trains Regally Ready for Tom Simon’s Vinery Stables, which bred the chestnut gelding in the name Grapestock LLC.

When Regally Ready drew the 8 post position, Asmussen said: “That’s perfect for him. He should be forwardly placed.”

The Kentucky-bred, who is out of the King of Kings mare Kivi, will be ridden by Corey Nakatani.

Tommy and Bonnie Hamilton’s 4-year-old homebred Havelock, also a two-time graded stakes winner this year, was given morning-line odds of 9-2 in light of his impressive, come-from-behind victory in the Oct. 8 Woodford Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Keeneland. The son of Great Notion  captured the Aug. 28 Play the King Stakes (Can-IIT) and the July 16 Arlington Sprint Handicap.

Havelock has an overall record of 6-0-2 from 14 starts for earnings of $366,154.

Trained by Darrin Miller, Havelock is campaigned in the name of the Hamiltons’ Springfield, Ky.-based Silverton Hill Farm. Bred in Maryland, he is out of the Spectacular Love mare Piconeach.

Havelock will be ridden by Robby Albarado in the Turf Sprint and will break from post 10.

Also deserving consideration in the Turf Sprint are Caracortado and Chamberlain Bridge, who have respective morning-line odds of 4-1 and 5-1.

Trained by Mike Machowsky, Caracortado has also notched two stakes victories this year, most recently in the Aug. 27 Del Mar Mile (gr. IIT). The 4-year-old gelding worked four furlongs on a fast track in a bullet :46 flat under Zoe Cadman at Santa Anita Park Oct. 30. The son of Cat Dreams —Mons Venus, by Maria's Mon, was the fastest of 59 horses at the same distance.

Caracortado drew the 13 post in the Turf Sprint and will be ridden by Joe Talamo.

“Being outside like that will give my rider a chance to take a look and pick a spot so he can be ready to fire when they hit the lane,” said Machowsky, who trains Caracortado for Blahut Racing and Hi Lo Racing. “I’m not surprised by (the 4-1 morning line). I thought he’d be one of the favorites.

"If you look at his races, you’ll see that he has been running with the really classy horses. He's a classy horse himself, and the only question for me is the cut back to the sprint. He hasn’t sprinted on the grass since last November, but he’s doing good and I think he’ll acquit himself well."

Last year’s Turf Sprint victor Chamberlain Bridge is looking to break a four-race losing streak in the Turf Sprint, but the seasoned 7-year-old gelding has 11 stakes victories to his credit, including the 2009 Aegon Turf Sprint (gr. IIIT). He enters the Breeders’ Cup off a record of 17-4-8 from 36 starts for earnings of $1,684,531.

“We’ve gone from one extreme to another,” trainer Bret Calhoun said of Chamberlain Bridge’s 14-post draw. “I wasn’t happy when we drew the one (post) last year and it worked out OK. I think the 14 is better than the one.”

Owned by Carl R. Moore Management, Chamberlain Bridge was bred in Kentucky by Eugene Melnyk. He will be ridden by Jamie Theriot in the Turf Sprint.

Rounding out the field are other graded-stakes winners Hoofit, Rapport, Broken Dreams, California Flag, Camp Victory, and Holiday for Kitten; stakes victors Country Day and Perfect Officer; and stakes-placed runner Great Attack.